Mikkel Damsgaard was in Sampdoria preparing for the next campaign when his phone started ringing constantly. He had scored a free-kick against England in the Euro 2020 semi-final, before Denmark lost narrowly in extra time the previous summer.
But not even he expected a Premier League move to be so smooth. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Asia from the London Stadium, he shares that he’s been most satisfied with working under his boss, Thomas Frank, who has kept the Bees in the Premier League since their promotion in 2021.
On manager Thomas Frank, he said:
The manager is just a very likeable guy. He’s very serious about his work, works very hard for the team, and always ensures that we make improvements, even if we win. I’m delighted that I get to work with him on a daily basis.
What he’s done at the club is remarkable, along with a few players who are still here. They have built this culture where everybody is hardworking and does what's best for the team. That’s a very difficult space to create, but he’s done it.
What Thomas has created here is remarkable, and it’s credit to him for what he’s done.
This season, Damsgaard has played in 25 league games, contributing two goals and eight assists. He’s already renewed the contract he signed in 2022, extending his stay at the Brentford Community Stadium until 2030.
Having helped establish West London as a mainstay in the Premier League, he admits that now is the time to start looking at playing in European competitions. The winger added:
The win was important in so many ways, including keeping hopes alive for a strong finish. It’s really important that we beat the team below us now, and it also helps us push for a place in Europe next season.
Listen, I’m not sure, but one thing is certain: we take it one game at a time. It’s a long way to go, but we can look ahead a little, and hopefully, if we can get on a streak of a couple of wins—which we haven’t been able to do so far this season—we can maybe dream of something.
Against West Ham this past weekend, Brentford took all three points with a 1-0 win, but they could have had more. Yoane Wissa had two goals narrowly ruled out, and goal-scorer Kevin Schade hit the post.
Damsgaard admits it’s games like these that they should be using to lay down a marker:
I would say that we need to be sharper in these games where we have the chance to put the match away. When we’re on top, we need to take advantage and go up by two or three goals. But to be fair, in the end, it was the same—three points.
Brentford has developed a reputation as one of the most lethal teams in the league. They have one of the smallest budgets in the league but are currently 11th and never really in any danger of relegation.
When asked if there’s a special way of playing to ensure they continue to catch teams off guard, Damsgaard revealed that they have a free role when attacking.
The Danish midfielder concluded:
We play with a free role offensively and defensively—it’s definitely more of a 4-4-2. We just try to find spaces, especially me and Wissa, to create opportunities that we can use to score goals or break down the opponents.
